通勤學英語 15Mins Today

Summary:

 

This article describes the popularity of botox. It is the No. 1 aesthetic procedure since 1999, according to according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery —were up 16.3% from the year before. Fillers were up 12% in the same time frame. Both procedures require regular top-ups. Previously, these injectables were administered through closed doors, but now, to improve the overall image of getting botox, and also to associate it with beauty salons, the interior design has changed, and clients are separated by curtains.

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

 

Aesthetic adj. – concerned with beauty

Botox is the no.1 aesthetic procedure since 1999.

 

Top-up n. – the act of filling up

My easygo card needs a top-up.

Botox and fillers require regular top-ups.

 

Blow-dry n. v. – to dry your hair using a hairdryer

My mother goes to the salon every week for a blow-dry.

You need to blow-dry your hair after wash.

 

Atmosphere n. – the mood or situation or work of art

People prefer the atmosphere of the salons instead of the beauty clinics.

 

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每日跟讀#637: Angry crowd runs amok in Taichung

 

On June 21, a one-year-old infant from Taichung was allegedly physically abused while in the care of a babysitter, a 24-year-old resident of the city, surnamed Kuo. The baby’s injuries were so severe that she fell into a coma and the infant is currently receiving emergency treatment at China Medical University Hospital. According to medical staff, the child has already undergone surgery to remove a blood clot, and remains in intensive care and under close observation.

 

台中一歲女嬰由二十四歲郭姓保母照顧，六月二十一日疑受虐昏迷不醒就醫，六月二十四日晚間九點有網友開直播號召群眾到保母住處討公道，並要求檢方「開出拘票、聲請羈押」才願撤離，現場聚集約三百人，雞蛋、冥紙齊飛，爆發多波警民衝突，警方最後噴灑辣椒水，並出動鎮暴警察，群眾才散去，結束四個多小時的脫序行為。

 

At around 9pm on June 24, three days after the baby was admitted to hospital, a man named Liu Kuan-ting, the administrator of a citizens’ action Facebook group, started filming a live stream and called on fellow Taichung residents to convene outside the rented apartment occupied by Kuo on Taiping Hansi East Road to “obtain justice.”

 

前晚九點左右，臉書「冠廷往事」直播主劉冠廷，在粉絲專頁號召民眾前往太平旱溪東路、郭女的租屋處討公道，在樓下大喊要她出來面對，也要求檢警立刻拘捕郭女。

 

By 11pm that evening, a crowd of 300 angry locals had amassed outside the entrance to the apartment block and were yelling for the babysitter to come outside. Meanwhile, 180 riot police arrived at the address and sealed off the road. The crowd began to push and shove against police officers and some tried to force their way into the building, while others lobbed eggs at the entrance. Police officers were seen intervening to prevent more egg throwing by two individuals.

 

深夜十一點多，戒備警力約達一百八十人，並進行封路，現場約三百群眾大喊：「保母出來！」並與警方發生推擠，這時有人要衝進社區，還朝社區大門丟雞蛋，警方壓制兩名丟雞蛋的人。

 

Chief Detective Chen Chun-yen was dispatched to the scene several times by Taiping Precinct Police Chief Chang Tse-cheng to calm the crowd. Chen explained that evidence had already been gathered, statements obtained and the case was now in the hands of prosecutors for review. However, Chen’s attempts to reason with the crowd fell on deaf ears and they began shouting again: “Arrest her! Lock her up!” A section of the crowd then peeled off and headed for Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office to stage a separate protest.

 

太平警分局長張則誠坐鎮指揮，數度由偵查隊長陳俊彥出面向民眾說明，表示相關證據、供詞都已做完，並將郭女函送檢方偵辦，現場民眾不接受，不斷高喊：「開出拘票、聲請羈押」，部分群眾還轉進台中地檢署抗議。

 

The baby’s mother addressed the crowd, thanking them for their support and sympathy, but appealed for calm and stressed that all she wanted to do was to stay by her daughter’s side. “I really wish this were just a terrible dream, I wish it were me lying on that bed in intensive care.” She added: “I hope the babysitter will tell the truth and justice can be done.”

 

中國醫藥大學附設醫院表示，女嬰已進行手術清除血塊，仍在加護病房觀察，女嬰母親則出面感謝大家聲援，但希望大家冷靜，強調只想陪在女兒身邊，並發文表示，「我多麼希望這一切都是夢，多麼希望躺在裡面的是我」；她還說，希望保母能說出真相，還她一個公道。

 

Around midnight, several more clashes between the crowd and police occurred, with people hurling more eggs, in addition to ghost money, at the apartment block. Police officers used pepper spray to control the crowd and, during the ensuing scuffles, several officers were pelted with eggs.

 

昨凌晨零點過後又爆發數波衝突，現場雞蛋、冥紙齊飛，警方也噴灑辣椒水壓制，多名員警遭蛋洗，

 

By 1am, 40 police officers in full riot gear arrived on the scene. The precinct’s deputy chief held up a sign ordering the crowd to disperse and then riot police moved in, using force to bring the situation under control, dragging away six individuals. At this point, the crowd finally began to disperse. The instigator of the flash mob, Liu, was arrested by police for breaking the Social Order Maintenance Act. The police have said any other members of the crowd deemed to have broken the law will be arrested under the act or the Criminal Code.

 

凌晨一點多時，四十名鎮暴警察全副武裝到場，分局長舉牌命令解散，警方強制壓制帶離六人，群眾才散去，包括直播主劉冠廷，將依違反社會秩序維護法函送，對有違法事證者，也將依刑法及社維法究辦。

 

Liu later issued a statement saying he will pay a fine, but insisted his actions were not an appeal for mob justice, rather his intention was to shed light on an important issue.

 

劉冠廷說，他會去繳罰鍰，並說他不是號召鄉民私刑正義，而是把問題搬上檯面。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/07/02/2003717931/2

 

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每日跟讀#636: Amazon’s facial recognition causing human rights concerns

 

Amazon.com Inc. announced on June 10 that the company will continue to offer its facial recognition (FR) technology to any government agency that follows the law, in contrast with rival Microsoft Corp. “We will serve the federal government, and they will have to use the technology responsibly,” said Andy Jassy, the CEO of Amazon Web Services. He also hoped that the authorities in charge would act promptly, “otherwise, you’ll have 50 different laws in 50 different states.”

 

美國亞馬遜公司六月十日宣布，該公司仍將會持續提供「臉部辨識」（FR）技術給任何守法的政府機構，此一作法和其對手微軟公司有所不同。亞馬遜網路服務執行長賈西說：「我們仍將為聯邦政府提供服務，他們必須負責任地使用該技術。」但他希望主管單位能加快腳步，「否則未來五十個州可能有五十套不同的法律。」

 

According to Reuters, Microsoft said that the company had rejected a similar deal with a California law enforcement agency, fearing that it might lead to innocent women and ethnic minorities being “disproportionately” held for questioning. Such “artificial intelligence” (AI) tools are often trained largely on images of white men.

 

根據路透報導，微軟表示該公司曾拒絕加州執法機關一項類似的交易，因為擔憂這會導致無辜女性和少數族群遭到「不成比例」的盤查。這類「人工智慧」（AI）工具大多以白人男性的影像來進行訓練.

 

Despite Amazon’s announcement, the New York Times reported on the same day that tens of thousands of images of travelers and vehicle license plates stored by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been hacked recently, once more highlighting the security issue.

 

然而在亞馬遜作出宣布的當天，《紐約時報》報導，存放在美國海關與邊境保護局、高達數萬份旅客及車牌的影像近日驚傳被駭，再次突顯了影像安全的重要性。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/06/27/2003717628

 

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每日跟讀#635: California becomes first US state to ban ‘hairstyle discrimination’

 

US Governor Gavin Newsom on July 3 signed into law a bill making California the first US state to ban workplace and school discrimination against black people for wearing hairstyles such as braids, twists and locks. The law, initiated by Democratic Senator Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles, a black woman who wears her hair in locks, makes California the first state to explicitly say that those hairstyles are associated with race and therefore protected against discrimination in the workplace and in schools.

 

美國加州州長葛文‧紐森上週三簽署了一項法案，禁止在工作場所及學校因黑人留辮子頭、編髮和雷鬼頭等髮型而對其加以歧視，使加州成為有相關法令的第一州。該法案是由洛杉磯民主黨參議員荷莉‧米契爾所提出──米契爾本身即為留著髮辮的黑人女性。這項法案的通過，使加州成為第一個明確將這些髮型與種族聯繫起來的州，因此可以保護黑人在工作場所和學校免於受到歧視。

 

“We are changing the course of history, hopefully, across this country by acknowledging that what has been defined as professional hair styles and attire in the work place has historically been based on a Euro-centric model based on straight hair,” Mitchell said.

 

「透過定義何為專業、符合工作禮儀的髮型及服裝，我們希望這是在改變整個國家歐洲中心主義、以直髮為模範的歷史進程」，米契爾說。

 

Stephanie Hunter-Ray, who works at a makeup counter, says she typically wears her hair braided or in an afro, but one day she showed up to work with it straightened and styled in a bob. Her manager told Hunter-Ray her hair had never looked so normal.

 

在美容專櫃工作的史蒂芬妮‧亨特雷說，她的髮型通常是辮子頭或爆炸頭，但有天上班，她的頭髮是燙直的，並梳成鮑伯頭。上司跟她說，她的頭髮從來沒看起來這麼正常過。

 

“It bothered me,” Hunter-Ray said in an interview at the hair salon she owns in Sacramento that specializes in natural hair styles. “What do you mean by ‘normal?’ Your normal is not my normal. My normal is my ‘fro or my braids.” Alikah Hatchett-Fall, who runs Sacred Crowns Salon in Sacramento, said she’s had black men come into her salon asking to have their hair cut off because they can’t find jobs.

 

「這讓我感到很困擾」，亨特雷在她位於加州首府沙加緬度的髮廊受採訪時說道，該髮廊是做自然髮型的專門店。「你說的『正常』是什麼意思？你的正常不是我的正常。我的正常髮型是爆炸頭或髮辮」。在沙加緬度經營聖冠髮廊的艾利卡‧海切佛說，有黑人男子到她的髮廊說要把頭髮剪掉，因為不然的話會找不到工作。

 

The law, she said, “means that psychologically and mentally people can be at ease and be able to get the jobs they want, keep the jobs they want, and get promoted at the jobs they want.” California’s new law, which takes effect on Jan. 1 next year, is significant because federal courts have historically held that hair is a characteristic that can be changed, meaning there’s no basis for discrimination complaints based on hairstyle. The US Supreme Court recently declined to hear the case of an Alabama woman who said she didn’t get a job because she refused to change her hair. The issue burst into public view last December, when a black high school wrestler in New Jersey was told by a referee that he had to cut off his dreadlocks if he wanted to compete. California’s Democratic governor said the video was a clear example of the discrimination black Americans face.

 

她說，這項法律「意味人們在心理和精神上能夠釋懷，可以得到想要的工作、保住想要的工作、晉升到想要的工作」。加州明年一月一日起生效的這項新法意義重大，因為聯邦法院歷來皆認為頭髮是可改變的特徵，這就表示若投訴因髮型而受歧視，會沒有根據。美國最高法院最近便拒絕審理一個案件──阿拉巴馬州一名婦女投訴，說她因為不願改變頭髮而找不到工作。此議題在去年十二月由於一事件而突然變得眾所矚目──紐澤西州有位高中角力比賽裁判告訴一名黑人選手說，若他要參賽，就必須剪掉他的雷鬼頭編髮。民主黨籍的加州州長表示，這段影片是美國黑人所面臨歧視的明顯例子。

 

Mitchell’s bill adds language to the state’s discrimination laws to say that “race” also includes “traits historically associated with race,” including hair texture and protective hairstyles. It further defines protective hairstyles as braids, twists and locks.

 

米契爾的法案為加州的反歧視法增加了語彙，將「種族」的定義含括了「傳統上與種族相關的特徵」，包括髮質和具保護功能的髮型。該法還進一步定義了具保護功能的髮型，即辮子頭、編髮和雷鬼頭。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/07/10/2003718377/1

 

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每日跟讀#634: Yoga: Indian practice turned global phenomenon

 

The Indian discipline of yoga, involving spiritual and physical practices, is followed in myriad forms today by millions of people worldwide, with an entry in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

 

瑜伽這門印度的修習，是心靈和身體的修練，全世界有數百萬人參與，有非常多種樣式。瑜珈也被聯合國教科文組織登錄為非物質文化遺產。

 

Friday was International Yoga Day.

 

上週五即為「國際瑜伽日」。

 

The word “yoga” has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language and means “to attach, join, harness, yoke.” Yoga first appeared in ancient texts such as the sacred Hindu epic the Bhagavad Gita, written between the fifth and second centuries BC.

 

「瑜伽」一詞來自古梵語，意思是「附著、加入、駕馭、套上枷鎖」。瑜伽一詞是在古代典籍中首次出現，例如西元前五世紀至前二世紀間寫成的印度教經典──史詩《博伽梵歌》。

 

It is born of an “awareness of the unsatisfactory character of the human condition,” says India specialist Tara Michael, author of the book Yoga published in France in 1980. The practice emerged as a way of transcending this suffering. However in its present-day use, yoga is often no more than a form of exercise, Michael says.

 

印度專家塔拉‧米克爾在其一九八○年於法國出版的《瑜伽》一書中說，瑜珈誕生於「對人類境況不滿的體認」，做瑜珈是為了要超越這種痛苦。然而米克爾說，現今「瑜伽」通常指的不過是一種運動形式。

 

Yoga became known in the West towards the end of the 19th century as it was undergoing a major revival in India under the Hindu teacher Swami Vivekananda. This philosopher-monk stressed yoga’s rational and scientific qualities in a bid to make the discipline compatible with the West.

 

十九世紀末，瑜伽經印度導師辨喜（又譯為斯瓦米‧維韋卡南達）的復興而發揚光大，傳播到西方而廣為人知。辨喜這位哲學家僧侶強調瑜伽的理性和科學特質，以使瑜伽跟西方文化接軌。

 

Modern Western references such as the Oxford English Dictionary define yoga as a “spiritual and ascetic discipline” which includes “breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures.”

 

現代西方的參考文獻，例如《牛津英語詞典》，將瑜伽定義為「心靈及苦修之學門」，其內容包括「呼吸控制、簡單冥想，以及採用特定的身體姿勢」。

 

Indian metaphysics captured the imagination of counter-cultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, as epitomized by the relationship between The Beatles and the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh.

 

印度的形而上學深深吸引了一九六○及七○年代的反文化運動，其中以披頭四樂團成員追隨印度大師瑪哈禮希‧瑪赫西最具代表性。

 

Yoga as a spiritual practice was popularized at this time with the more athletic and dynamic methods developed in the 1980s and 1990s, says Mark Singleton from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

 

倫敦大學亞非學院的馬克‧辛果頓表示，瑜伽作為一種心靈實踐，在一九八○和九○年代由於開發出更具運動性和動感的方法，而變得普及。

 

It is difficult to say just how many people practice yoga around the world today, although some estimate it could be up to around 200 to 300 million.

 

現今全世界有多少人做瑜伽，很難計算出來，雖然有人估計可能高達兩億至三億人。

 

Studies have shown its benefits for dealing with anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, with yoga considered more effective than a simple physical activity but less than psychotherapy.

 

研究顯示做瑜伽有益於治療焦慮、憂鬱和睡眠障礙──瑜伽的功效被認為大於簡單的身體活動，但小於心理治療。

 

Since coming to power in 2014, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used yoga as an emblem of India’s flourishing in the world, pushing for the UN resolution that has — since 2015 — consecrated June 21 as International Yoga Day.

 

印度總理納倫德拉‧莫迪自二○一四年上台以來，便將瑜伽作為印度在世界蓬勃發展的象徵，推動聯合國做出決議──自二○一五年起，將六月二十一日訂為「國際瑜伽日」。

 

UNESCO added yoga to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2016 in recognition of its influence on Indian society, “from health and medicine to education and the arts.”

 

聯合國教科文組織在二○一六年將瑜伽列為非物質文化遺產，以表彰它「從健康及醫學到教育及藝術」對印度社會的影響。

 

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每日跟讀#633: Cracking down on noisy scooters during ‘joyriding season’

 

In Taiwan, the ear-splitting sound from speeding scooters and modified motorbikes is the bane of many peoples’ lives, disrupting sleep and shattering the peace.

 

高噪音車輛呼嘯而過擾人安寧，環保署七月一日表示，即日起除輔導相關廠商主動查驗排氣管，也將聯合各單位在高噪音熱區加強執法，同步啟用「聲音照相」技術，強力取締噪音超標。

 

At a press conference on July 1, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced new measures, aimed specifically at tackling the problem of noise pollution from aftermarket exhausts retrofitted to scooters. The measures include providing guidance to vehicle manufacturers to encourage on-the-spot inspections of exhausts, a multi-law enforcement agency clamp down on offending scooter riders at noise hot spots and use of noise detection cameras. The EPA hopes the combined measures will help to improve the quality of peoples’ lives, particularly as we move into the summer months when joyriding is more frequent.

 

行政院環境保護署七月一日召開「改管噪音要認證聲音照相大執法維護安寧好生活」記者會。環保署指出暑假飆車問題較嚴重，針對噪音擾民問題，七月一日起祭出三個新作為，改善民眾生活品質。

 

First, local government-level environmental protection bureaus, local police and regulatory bodies have combined forces to enforce the law on noise pollution. In a break from the past practice of carrying out random checks, since July 1 enforcement of the law has become more centralized and coordinated, fusing together the individual efforts of municipal cities and counties. Authorities say they will crack down particularly harshly on offending vehicles within known hot spot areas.

 

首先是環（地方政府環保局）、警（警政機關）、監（監理機關）聯合大執法，對照過去執法較是常態隨機模式，七月一日起，環警監將集中執法，甚至進行跨縣市聯合執法，在高噪音熱區加強取締。

 

Second, at the news conference the EPA said the crackdown by local agencies and the police will be complimented by an integrated technological approach which uses noise-measuring equipment together with the vehicle license plate recognition system. Equipment will be placed in hot spot areas and will single out vehicles that exceed statutory noise restrictions. Offenders will be fined a minimum of NT$1,800 and a maximum of NT$3,600.

 

其次，環保署表示，搭配環警監聯合執法，整合噪音測量儀器及車牌辨識等系統的「聲音照相」技術也同步啟用，將在熱區擺放設備，篩選高噪音車輛進行查證取締，超過機動車輛噪音管制標準，將開罰新台幣一千八百元以上、三千六百元以下罰鍰。

 

Third, the EPA will provide training and guidance to manufacturers and importers of vehicles so that they take the initiative to check and certify retrofitted exhausts. Under the proposed scheme, a “certified” label would be affixed to exhausts that pass testing. The EPA believes this will help to reduce the number of scooter owners opting to attach aftermarket exhausts to their vehicles and will also reduce the number of vehicles on the road that are either uncertified or have not been checked by the local environment protection bureau.

 

再者，環保署將輔導車商或進口商主動進行改裝排氣管源頭噪音認證，通過的產品會貼上合格標籤，藉此減少車主改裝排氣管時，使用未認證或未經環保局查驗合格的排氣管。

 

The EPA reminded the public that any scooter riders who refuse inspection by the authorities and are found to be using uncertified or unverified retrofitted exhausts, can be fined a minimum of NT$3,000 up to a maximum of NT$30,000. Offenders will also be made to reinstate the original exhaust and obtain a “verified” label. Further, if while undergoing testing a vehicle is found to exceed noise restriction levels, the owner will be fined between NT$1,800 and NT$3,600.

 

環保署提醒，萬一車主改裝使用到未認證或未經查驗合格的排氣管，可能會被攔檢發現，若拒檢可依噪音管制法規定處三千元以上、三萬元以下罰鍰，並改回合格產品、貼上合格標籤；檢驗時若噪音超標，將處一千八百元以上、三千六百元以下罰鍰。

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 15. In today's episode we are going to be looking at reported speech.

 

Now reported speech is when we tell someone something that someone else had said, for instance I am talking to John and he told me, “I am hungry.” After that I may be speaking to someone else and I could say, “John said that he was hungry.” The other option is that I leave out “that” and I just say, “John said he was hungry.” We use it when we and we tell our friends what other friends have told us.

 

Of course we can do questions with that, and we can use the word “told.” John told me he was hungry and John asked me if I was hungry, if it was a question. So the only important thing is to remember that you will notice that the verb takes the past tense when we do the actual reported speech. Now when we do the questions they will be reported speech questions, so just follow the grammar and let's do it.

 

Drill Sentences:

 

Did Jane say that she had sent the email? Yes, she said that she had sent the email.

Did Jane say that she had sent the email? No, she did not say that she had sent the email.

 

Did he tell me the conference finished on time? Yes, he told me that the conference at finished on time.

Did he tell me that the conference finished on time? No, he did not tell me that the conference had finished on time.

 

Did Peter say that he had completed the report? Yes, he said that he had completed the report.

Did Peter say that he had completed the report? No, he did not say that he had completed the report.

 

Did he ask you to stay at a hotel? Yes, he asked me to stay at a hotel.

Did he ask you to stay at a hotel? No, he did not ask me to stay at a hotel.

 

Did John and Jane say they had booked the tickets? Yes, they said that they had booked the tickets.

Did John and James say that they had booked the tickets? No, they did not say that they had booked the tickets.

 

Did Jeff tell you that he had rebooted the computer? Yes, he told me that he had rebooted the computer.

Did Jeff tell me that he had rebooted the computer? No, he did not tell me that he had rebooted the computer.

 

Did Anna tell me that she had backed up the files? Yes, she told me that she had backed up the files

Did Anna tell me that she had backed up the files? No, she did not tell me that she had backed up the files.

 

Did you ask if they had updated the drivers? Yes, I asked if they had updated the drivers.

Did you ask if they updated the drivers? No, I did not ask if they updated the drivers.

 

Did Peter say he gave the presentation? Yes, he said that he gave the presentation.

Did Peter say that he gave the presentation? No, he did not say that he gave the presentation.

 

Thanks guys! Keep practicing and repeat and answer the questions. Have a great time, bye bye!

Summary:

 

This article discusses China’s failing coffee chain and how copying a successful business, this time Starbucks, is not always a recipe for success. Over-expansion and ignoring profit in favor of growth is a recipe for disaster.

 

Full article: https://www.15mins.today/blog/599-viewing-china-through-the-coffee-cup

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

 

Acclaimed: to welcome / praise somebody/something

Is Roma an acclaimed movie?

Did Mozart garner much acclaim?

 

Rival: a competitor

Are Apple and Samsung rivals?

Does Youtube have a viable rival yet?

 

Collateral: something valuable used to secure a loan

Do banks require collateral to secure loans?

Can a reputation serve as collateral?

 

Burn through: use up

Did you burn through your allowance last weekend?

Is it easy to burn through your holiday budget?

 

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每日跟讀#632: Taipei, New Taipei standardize bus fare payment from July 1

 

Bus passengers in Taipei and New Taipei are now required to swipe their smart cards on entry and exit, as of Monday, as the two cities move to standardize the payment system, according to the Taipei Public Transportation Office.

 

台北市交通局公共運輸處表示，為了讓台北市和新北市的公車刷卡制度一致，週一起，民眾搭乘台北市和新北市的公車，上下車時都必須刷卡。

 

The new procedure will help to avoid confusion about when the smart card should be swiped and will provide more precise travel data for city authorities who plan bus routes, the office said.

 

公運處表示，新制將有助於避免乘客對該何時刷卡感到無所適從，且可蒐集更完整的旅運資料，有助於研擬更符合需求的路線或班次。

 

Before July, the system of payment had not been standardized in the two cities, with passengers sometimes required to pay on boarding, sometimes on alighting, and both times on some routes.

 

之前雙北的公車收費方式並未統一，有的規定乘客在上車時付費，有的必須在下車時付費，而有些路線是上下車皆須付費。

 

The new system is being implemented in two phases, allowing passengers to become accustomed to the change, the office said.

 

公運處表示，新制度將分兩階段實施，以便讓乘客能夠漸進適應。

 

In the first phase, from July 1 to January, passengers who comply with the new regulation by swiping their cards on entry and exit will gain a chance on each trip to win a prize in a lottery.

 

第一階段是從七月一日到明年一月，只要完成一次上下車皆刷卡就可參加抽獎，完成次數越多中獎機率越高。

 

On an average bus trip, the standard fare of NT$15 (US$0.5) will be deducted when the passenger swipes on boarding, and no additional amount will be charged on alighting, the office said.

 

公運處表示，坐一趟普通距離的公車，乘客在上車刷卡時，會扣除十五元新台幣（零點五美元）的標準票價，而下車刷卡時並不會再扣款。

 

On longer segmented routes, the additional amount will be deducted when the passenger swipes on alighting, the office said.

 

若搭乘較多段的路線，那麼乘客下車刷卡時，就會再度扣款。

 

In the second phase of the new regulation, which will start Feb. 1, passengers who fail to comply will not be eligible for the discount rates when they transfer within an hour to the Taipei MRT system or a YouBike, the transportation office said. There will be no other penalty, however, for not swiping on alighting, according to the office.

 

第二階段將自二○二○年二月一日起實施，屆時乘客若未能在上下車時皆刷卡，將無法享有轉乘優惠（轉乘指在一小時內轉搭台北捷運或使用YouBike單車）。然而，公運處說，乘客並不會因為在下車時沒刷卡而受到其他懲罰。

 

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每日跟讀#631: Aboriginal canoe sets out on voyage to Japan for research

 

An Aboriginal Amis canoe is set to sail from Taiwan’s Taitung County to Japan’s Yonaguni Island some time between Monday and July 13. Organized by Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory and Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS), the voyage is part of the NMNS’ research on people’s movement from Taiwan to Japan in ancient times.

 

一艘原住民阿美族的獨木舟，預計在週一至七月十三日間，從台灣的台東縣航向日本的與那國島。該活動是由國立台灣史前文化博物館，及日本的國立科學博物館合辦，此航行是科博館研究的一部分，旨在探討古代人們從台灣到日本的遷徙活動。

 

According to archaeologists, some of the early inhabitants of Japan most likely traveled from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islands on similar wooden vessels during the Paleolithic, about 30,000 years ago. The canoe will have to cross the Kuroshio Current (the Black Current) and travel around 205km to Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost island in Okinawa Prefecture.

 

根據考古學家們指出，日本的某些早期居民，極有可能是搭乘著類似的木筏，自台灣來到沖繩列島，當時大約是距今三萬年的舊石器時代。這艘獨木舟必須跨越「黑潮」洋流，航行約兩百零五公里至沖繩縣、位於全日本最西端的與那國島。

 

The research team failed to complete a voyage on an Amis bamboo raft last year and the year before that, because the boats used were not strong enough for the big waves. This time around, a canoe made of cedar will be used in the adventure, which is expected to take 2 to 3 days.

 

研究團隊去年、前年均嘗試以阿美族竹筏渡海，但因竹筏不夠堅固無法抵擋大浪沖擊，最終挑戰失敗。本次冒險則改用以雪松打造的獨木舟，預計需二到三天才能完成整趟航程。

 

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